I drew "Divine Moon" from the scabbard on my right hip with practiced ease. Even with only one arm, the blade felt strangely familiar. It was light and perfectly balanced, as if it had been forged just for me. I could feel a strange energy flowing through the sword itself, as if… it had a soul of its own.
ROARRRRR!!!
Before I could admire my new sword for long, a furious roar echoed from in front of me!
And yes… a Soul Either was charging straight at me from the tall grass. It looked almost human, its skin a burnt brown like dry tree bark, but both of its eyes blazed crimson red. Its long, sharp claws gleamed in the sunlight.
It rushed in at high speed, swiping its claws, intending to tear my body to pieces. But I didn't panic like I used to. I focused, timed its movements, and raised Divine Moon to parry its attack just in time.
CLANG!
The sound of metal striking hardened claws rang out. The impact sent me stumbling back a little, but I didn't lose my footing like before. The sword in my hand was incredibly steady.
I focused my gaze on its body, quickly scanning for a weak spot… There! A faint red light flickered at the back of its neck!
I recalled the short sword techniques Sin had taught me, trying to adapt them to the longer, heavier katana. I adjusted my footing, lowered my stance slightly, and prepared for the next attack.
It roared again, frustrated that its attack had missed, before lunging with the same sharp claws. But that kind of repetitive, artless movement was a fatal mistake!
The exact same move… I thought to myself.
The moment its claws were about to reach me, I didn't parry directly. Instead, I ducked down low with incredible speed, letting its claws slice through the empty air above my head. And in the split second its body shot past, exposing the back of its neck, I didn't hesitate. I sprang up, spun around, and slashed my sword upward at its weak spot!
SWISH!
The edge of Divine Moon sliced through its weak spot with a precision and ease that felt like cutting through tofu! Its body froze in mid-air before slowly dissolving into black mist, leaving behind only a small black crystal that fell to the ground… just like a common low-level one.
I slowly stood up, brushing the dust off my clothes, and looked out across the open plain once more. And yes… when I focused again, I could sense the spiritual energy of numerous Soul Eithers hidden in various places. They were like faint points of light scattered across a map in my head.
But before I could move on to hunt my next target, the ground a few meters in front of me suddenly looked strange. It bulged upward in a long line, like the trail of a giant earthworm moving just beneath the surface.
And yes… it was heading straight for me with incredible speed!
I didn't waste a second, swinging Divine Moon straight down at the ground. But the thing that shot out from under the earth wasn't alone! Just as my blade was about to hit the first target, another one burst from the ground to my side and slammed right into my stomach!
Ugh!
The massive impact sent my body flying all the way to the edge of Stone City's deep cliff! I almost fell into the chasm, but thankfully, I had enough presence of mind to plunge my sword into the ground, barely managing to slow down and stop myself just in time.
I gasped for air, the pain in my stomach so intense I almost passed out. But what stunned me even more… was what lay at the bottom of the ravine I'd never dared to look down into before.
Amidst the swirling mist below, I saw a colossal back… made of stone… It wasn't just a giant rock… no… it had a humanoid shape… or was it a golem? Yes… it was a gigantic stone golem that was… carrying… carrying the entire city of Stone City on its shoulders!
I could hardly believe my own eyes. The fairytales I'd heard… the legends that were told… were they actually true?
Or was this… the "God of Stone"... the sleeping guardian…